PS-BEMP as a basic catalyst for the phospha-Michael addition to electron-poor alkenes

PS-BEMP was used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the phospha-Michael addition of phosphorus nucleophiles to a variety of electron-poor alkenes. The addition reactions were generally performed with equimolar amounts of reagents under solvent free conditions. The protocol proved to be very efficient for the addition to aromatic, non-aromatic and cyclic ketones, giving good yields (78-85%) in all cases. The protocol was also extended with good results to alpha,beta-unsaturated esters and nitriles. This demonstrates that PS-BEMP is a good catalyst for the phospha-Michael addition to electron-poor alkenes.